BASIC ASSUMPTION – CAUSE of BPH

BPH is caused by low bioavailable levels of testosterone, high levels of DHT and ESTROGEN binding with the hormone receptor sites on the prostate gland. This stimulates cell growth.

BASIC ASSUMPTION- TREATMENT of BPH

By elevating the bioavailabity of testosterone and reducing DHT and Estrogen or blocking their ability to bind with the prostate, the prostate gland will normalize in size and function.

TESTOSTERONE LEVELS

You can increase your testosterone levels if they are low by supplementing with testosterone, DHEA, pregnenelone or androsteine. You should monitor your levels of testosterone to make sure that you don’t exceed the normal range. Many men increase their testosterone levels only to see a corresponding increase in estrogen, DHT and SHBG. This will cause more problems that it solves. You must inhibit the conversion of testosterone into its harmful metabolites.

SBHG (SEX HORMONE BINDING HORMONE GLOBULIN)

Testosterone is the chief “male” hormone, produced in men by the Leydig cells in the testes. As testosterone is released into the bloodstream, much of it becomes bound to carrier proteins called SBHG and albumin. The liver produces SBGH in order to control levels of sex hormones which are biologically available. SHBG also increases with age.  A study of men age 39 to 70 found that only 20 percent of men over 55 were considered to have low testosterone levels based on total testosterone levels alone. Total testosterone levels include  both bound and free testosterone. When they looked at the biologically active testosterone levels alone however, over 50% were deficient.

A smaller portion of testosterone becomes bound to albumin and until recently this too was thought to be biologically inactive. New research shows that while it may not be as active as free or unbound testosterone, it is still useful and functional. Roughly 20 percent of testosterone is bound to albumin. Only a small fraction (1-5%) of a given amount of steroid hormone breaks loose from the carrier protein in the bloodstream and is free to enter target tissues. This free or unbound hormone can be measured with a saliva test whereas the total levels are measured with a blood test.

REDUCING  SBHG

Stinging nettle root extract has been shown to contain compounds that bind to SHBG, reducing the binding of testosterone to SHBG, and the binding of SHBG to prostate tissue

DHT - IS A METABOLITE OF TESTOSTERONE THAT HAS BEEN ALTERED BY AN ENZYME CALLED 5-ALPHA REDUCTASE

By limiting 5-alpha reductase, DHT levels are correspondingly reduced.

NINE ALPHA REDUCTASE INHIBITORS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. Zinc is something every middle aged man should be supplementing with. It acts as both a reductase inhibitor and an aromotase inhibitor as well. The prostate gland has a great affinity for zinc and no other gland or organ in the body has as much zinc as the prostate. The prostate concentration of zinc is ten times lower in cancer of the prostate than in normal prostate or BHP. Zinc is also used by the immune system to fight infection and there is a relationship between low levels of zinc and low levels of testosterone. Supplement with 50 to 100 mg’s of zinc per day and always take vitamin B6 with zinc.

2. Green Tea is a proven reductase inhibitor and has been shown to have other beneficial effects on the prevention and inhibition of PC

3. Lycopene is another reductase inhibitor that has down regulating effects on testosterone. In addition, lycopene decreased the expression of two prostatic cytokines, IGF-I and IL-6, both regarded as risk factors for prostate cancer.

4. Saw palmetto is an herb that is legendary for prostate issues and has been proven to be more effective that most drugs at reducing 5- alpha reductase. The liposterolic extract of Saw Palmetto has three major activities that improve BPH symptomology, they include: Inhibition of 5-?-reductase; Inhibiting the binding of DHT to prostatic cells; and Inhibiting both Lipoxygenase and Cyclooxygenase (arachidonic acid cascades)  Saw Palmetto, by competing with both the enzyme and receptor that stimulates growth factor secretion, inhibits hyperplasia.

5. Beta Sitosterol is the active ingredient in saw palmeto

6. Progesterone is a hormone which serves as a reductase inhibitor as well as an antitagonist to estrogen. Research Studies have shown that when prostate cells are exposed to estrogen, the cells proliferate and become cancerous. When progesterone or testosterone was added, cancer cell dies. During the aging process, progesterone levels fall, especially after age 60. Progesterone is the chief inhibitor of 5-alpha reductase. When the level of progesterone falls, the amount of conversion from testosterone to DHT increases. Make sure to supplement with natural progesterone cream. Avoid the synthetic pharmaceuticals at all cost.

7. Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA), and Linoleic Acid are essential fatty acids found in plant oils. GLA, ALA, and Linoleic Acid have been individually shown to inhibit 5-Alpha Reductase. In fact these are powerful inhibitors of 5-Alpha Reductase.

8. DHT can also be caused by an enzyme called PROLACTIN.  Prolactin is inhibited by the hormone Melatonin. Melatonin is produced as we sleep in total darkness, any light which falls on any part of the body will halt the secretion of melatonin and supplementing becomes necessary. Vitamin B-6 also decreases prolactin and should be used with zinc.

9. Zinc also reduces prolactin binding to prostate receptors

ESTROGEN IS A METABOLITE OF TESTOSTERONE WHICH HAS BEEN ALTERED BY THE ENZYME AROMATASE

Fat cells are “hot spots” of aromatase activity. Aromatase converts testosterone and its derivative androstenedione to estrogen. Fat tends to replace muscle with aging in men, thereby increasing aromatase levels. By gaining muscle mass and sheding body fat, you naturally limit aromatase.

There are nutrients you can consume which inhibit aromatase as well.  Known Aromatase inhibitors are:

1. Vitamin C is linked to aromatase, if vitamin C levels are low then aromatase levels rise and high levels of this vitamin will sometime stimulate the pituitary gland to activate the testosterone production to begin.

2. Lignans found in olive oil and flax seed and flax seed oil

3. Stinging nettle root

4. Passion flower extract

5. Grape skins and seeds

6. Resveratrol

7. Africian Pygeum

8. Flavanoids such as quercetin; kaempferol; naringenin and apigenin. One research reported quercetin was 1.5 times more effective than drugs used to inhibit aromatase and that apigenin was 8.5 times more effective.. There no supplemental sources of apigenin, but you get them from celery, peppermint, parsley and gingo biloba. Quercetin is found in many fruits and vegetables such as applaes and onions, you can get it in supplement form as well.

9. Chrysin is another powerful aromatase inhibitor which is extracted from bee propolis as well as plants. Luteolin has been shown in vitro to be a strong inhibitor of aromatase. Apigenin, which differs from luteolin only be one oxygen atom, has also been shown to be a strong aromatase inhibitor. In vitro (test tube) activity often does not translate into in vivo (live animal) activity, especially in the case of flavonoids such as chrysin, due to “relatively poor absorption and/or bioavailability. However, luteolin has been shown in human and animal studies to have excellent absorption and bioavailability, and to exert powerful protective effects, even at low doses.

ESTROGEN CAN BE PROHIBITED FROM BINDING WITH THE PROSTATE

Progesterone has strong affinity for the prostate and will compete for available binding sites, thus preventing estrogen from binding with and stimulating both benign and cancerous growth.

Soy and soy foods contain high amounts of plant or phyto estrogens. These estrogens are very weak and have almost no harmful effects. However, they compete with the available binding sites and prohibit the more potent and harmful estrogen. This causes the plasma estrogen levels to increase and thus stimulates the liver to metabolize the estrogen.

ESTROGEN CAN BE METABOLIZED

Methods of metabolism

1. DIM which is derived from the cruciferous vegetables, niacin, vitamin C and resveratrol which is found in grape skins and seeds are vital in aiding the livers efforts to metabolize estrogen. A healthy liver will do two things, it will metabolize and it will bind estrogen with bile acids and send it to the colon for excretion. A funny thing happens with most men at this point. If you don’t have the right bacteria in the digestive tract, the bile is cleaved from the estrogen and the estrogen gets reabsorbed into the blood stream.

2. CASTOR OIL PACKS.  Castor oil helps the liver to function so that estrogen is metabolized. Use only cold pressed castor oil and wool flannel cloth (white), you can rub some oil directly over the liver and then soak the piece of flannel with oil and place it over the liver. Place some plastic wrap over the cloth and apply a heating pad for one hour. Do this each day for two weeks and then every other day. This will also reduce cholesterol levels and enable the liver to remove other toxins from the body. Note* You can reuse the cloth several times by placing it in a freezer bag. It will eventually turn a dark color and then you can discard it.

3. AVOID ALCOHOL.  Heavy drinking in men has long been recognized as causing high ESTROGEN LEVELS with which such related symptoms as spider veins, reddish coloration of the palms, gynecomastia (enlarged breast), and even testicular atrophy. Increased sexual dysfunction is also common. Shakespeare noted that alcohol “increases the desire but decreases the performance,” and there is every reason to believe that alcohol-induced estrogen rises are a significant part of the effect. This was taken from “THE TESTOSTERONE SYNDROME”. Alcohol blocks the livers ability to metabolize estrogen by inhibiting the P450 system.

4. BLOCKING ACTION FOR ESTROGEN.  Progesterone cream, 12 mg of natural progesterone per day.

5. SOY and SOY ISOFLAVONES which are obtained by eating soy, foods with soy such as soy milk and tofu as well as taking soy isoflavone supplements will compete with the estrogen receptor sites in the body. This is important because phytoestrogens are 1/500th as potent as the most dangerous form of estrogen, estradiol. The body senses the estrogen level to be high and stimulates the P450 system in the liver to metabolize the estrogen. This added to the nutrients listed above as stimulators of estrogen metabolism will keep estrogen levels where they should be.

6. REMOVE XENOESTROGENS.  Many chemicals found in our environment such as herbicides and household chemicals as well as heavy metals act as estrogen and bind with the prostate. To remove these xenoestrogens, there are substances which will bind to these xenoestrogens and escort them to the colon for removal.  Selenium and Vitamin C are the best chelators.

SUGGESTIONS FOR BPH

By normalizing hormone levels the prostate issues that confront the majority of men as they age should be eliminated. By utilizing the information we have about hormones, this is a practical task for every man to undertake regardless of his age.

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